Time to Time
by TaraAnyaKate
Summary: Chapter 5 is up...Allison and Andrew has a wonderful afternoon out.
1. Default Chapter

****

June 1st, 1996

It was Twelve years after that day in the library. It was strange how their lives really did change. Friendships were formed and friendships were broken. Now, ten years after graduation, they had no time for petty childhood quarrels.

After Claire left the library, her life drastically took a turn. It was hard to believe she would be attracted to someone like John bender, but he was the one she gave her virginity to. Of course, her parents hated him, but when Claire got pregnant that summer, they hated the both of them. Claire forfeited all of her money for right to have that baby.

John was determined to not be like his father. He stepped up to his responsibilities. He was going to provide for his family. When they returned to school after summer vacation, all of Claire's friends were shocked to see the swell of her stomach. Claire became a social outcast. It was hard at first, but when their daughter, Courtney, was born the following March, she didn't care. John and Claire graduated with Courtney between them.

The first year of being parents and college students were hard, but John and Claire were determined to make it. When their second daughter, Tiffany, came, they got married and it was as if everything came into place. Determined to make his life great, John decided to go to law school to defend children of families like the kind he grew up in. When Claire got pregnant with Tyler, their third child, she got a job as a personal shopper. She had a fantastic time doing that. It gave her a chance to be home with her three children.

After the day in the library, Andrew wasn't sure he could stand up for himself, but Allison helped him. She stood by his side as he stood up to his father. Doing that made Andrew fall head over heals in love with Allison. It was strange for Allison to not be a social outcast anymore. Being Andrew's girlfriend got her more friends than she could handle, but that wasn't what she was looking for. She enjoyed being at the park, painting more than going to socials. But she was there at every wrestling match, cheering him on.

After graduation, Allison and Andrew decided to move in together. They wanted a family and they wanted each other to be their family. They had found a beautiful little house out in Deerfield, about forty minutes away form Chicago. Andrew went on to college, of course with a wrestling scholarship. Allison stayed home to paint and give birth to their first of three daughters, Adria.

Now, Andrew taught wrestling in the local high school. He loved it more than doing wrestling its self. It wasn't the best money in the world, but it was a paycheck. Allison was a stay at home artist mother. She really enjoyed painting abstract art. Allison sometimes put her pieces up in a local gallery and when they sold, they did sell for a good price.

When they left that library, Brian had been worried about not keeping friendships. He didn't realize how good friends he would be with Allison and Andrew. They had been really good friends until after graduation, but Brian fell of the face of the earth. He was the one who moved the furthest. After graduation, Brian moved to Florida to go to college there. It was there in his AP Chemistry coarse, he met his future wife Zophia. She was the most beautiful woman he had every laid eyes on. Her long flowing brown hair and her large chestnut eyes made his blood pump. Of course, he learned that she was a model.

There was no way she would like him, but it was she who made the first move. Right before their college graduation, Brian and Zophia had their first son. It wasn't until their second son was born, when they decided to move back to Chicago.

Brian loved being back in Chicago. He loved showing his wife where he grew up. It was there; he helped Zophia set up a modeling school. He ran the school and Zophia taught twelve girls every semester how to walk, talk, and act like a model. Brian wasn't sure it'd bring in any money, but he was wrong. The school was a booming business for them.

Claire got out of the car with a grunt. Her hand caressed her stomach. The baby was obviously not napping. He was kicking her bladder big time. Claire looked up at the beautiful house in front of her and walked up the steps. She rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" Allison ran to the door brushing the flour off of her hands. She opened the door and stared at Claire. "May I help you?"

"Don't you recognize me?" Claire smirked. Allison's face wrinkled as she went into her memory. Soon, her face softened.

"Oh my god, Claire! Look at you!" Allison laughed hugging Claire tightly. "How are you?"

"I'm terrific." Claire said, "You haven't changed a bit."

"Twenty pounds heavier." Allison snickered, "And same with you I see." Claire blushed patting her belly.

"Baby number four." She said.

"Oh that's great! I had number three last month." Allison stepping away from the door, "Come in, please."

"Thanks." Claire walked into the house with a waddle. She looked around the house glancing at all the pictures, "Andy hasn't changed."

"No he hasn't." She chuckled, "Come into the living room. Can I get you a drink?"

"Water would be great." Claire said going into the living room. She saw a very tiny baby sleeping in a swing. So gorgeous, she thought easing herself down into the house.

"When are you due?" Allison called out.

"August 2nd." Claire said. "Deerfield is beautiful."

"I love it. It's a wonderful place to raise a family." Allison walked back out and handed Claire a glass of water.

"Thanks." She said as a little girl ran into the room. She was so pretty with light brown curls and large brown eyes.

"Momma, Adria says when I got to kindergarten I'll need to eat bugs." She said. Allison chuckled.

"You don't need to." She said, "Asia, meet Mommy's friend, Claire. Claire, this is our middle child, Asia."

"It's a pleasure." Claire said.

"Yeah." Asia waved and ran off. Allison chuckled.

"She's very kinetic." She nodded to the baby, "That's Audrey and the oldest one is Adria."

"Very cute." Claire said, "You remember Courtney. Tiffany and Tyler are home. This little guy might be a John Jr or Conner. We haven't decided yet."

"John Bender." Allison chuckled, "How is he doing?"

"Perfect. He's going to open his own practice." Claire beamed with pride.

"That's wonderful." Allison leaned back looked at Audrey. "We need to keep in touch. Our kids are so close in age."

"I know." Claire said. "Life just got hectic."

"I understand." Allison looked up when she heard the front door open and Andrew walk in.

"Honey, I'm home." He walked into the living room and stopped in his tracks, "Oh my god. Claire?"

"Hey, Andy." She chuckled.

"A blast from the past." Andrew smirked, "is John here?" She shook her head.

"Someone needed to stay with the kids. Trust me. A forty-five minute drive with a Ten, eight, and five year old sucks." Claire said, Andrew chuckled softly.

"I bet." He gave Claire a quick hug. "You meet my girls?"

"Two of them.. Thankfully they look like Alli." Claire winked.

"Yeah, I'm happy about that." Andrew said, "Heaven forbid they look like me. So what are you doing in town?"

"Well, actually John and I are looking for a bigger house. There was one out here we read about so I came in to look at it. I remembered you were here so I looked you guys up." Claire explained to him.

"Oh you moving out here?" Allison asked.

"Yes." Claire smiled, "The house is beautiful. Five bedrooms. It's utterly perfect."

"Is it on Lilac Terrace?" Andrew asked. Claire nodded.

"You know of it?" She asked.

"Yeah, that house is amazing." He said.

"Oh I know." Claire said rubbing her stomach. "We just fell in love with it."

"So we'll be neighbors." Allison smiled, "I love it." Claire nodded. She hoped she would love it. It had been a very long time since she had been around these people. She hoped she could do it.


	2. The Move

June 15th, 1996

John pulled into the driveway, staring at the moving van in front of his house. He cursed silently under his breath. Claire was going to be pissed that he was late for helping the movers. He got out of the car and walked into his house.

"Daddy!" Tyler ran down the hallway. "All my stuff is gone!"

"I know." John chuckled giving his son a hug. "Where's your mother?"

"Helping Tiffany finish packing." Tyler said peering out the door.

"How many times have I told you and your sisters to not let your mother pack?" He couldn't help the frown upon his face, "She's pregnant and shouldn't do that."

"I dunno." Tyler said bolting out the house. John sighed climbing the stairs. Those children didn't listen. He walked into Courtney and Tiffany's room.  
"I'm sorry I'm late." John said. Claire looked up from a box.

"I didn't expect you until about now." She said. "We have movers to help with the moving."

"Then don't lift the box." John said pulling it out of her hands.  
"I'm pregnant. Not handicapped." Claire said putting her hands on her hips. John smiled gently. He loved it when Claire got that little crease in her forehead. "You need to talk to that daughter of yours."

"I have two." John said loosening his tie.

"Courtney is getting moody about the mood." Claire said. "She's in the back yard."

"I'll go talk with her. Don't lift any more boxes." John said.  
"I won't." Claire chuckled. John walked back downstairs with a sigh. He hated having heart to hearts with his children. It wasn't bad talking with his children, it was just bad trying to come up with the words. In the courtroom, his speeches were easy, but looking into those eyes of his children made it harder. John stepped out onto the back porch and looked at Courtney who was moping on the old swing set.

"Hey, Courts." He said. She turned her dark eyes up to him.  
"What do you want?" Courtney asked.  
"Well, I just came home and I wanted to spend time with my oldest daughter." He said walking over to the swing set.  
"Home? This isn't our home anymore." She told him.

"This will always be our home regardless of where we live. It's your childhood home." John said, "But our next house will be your teenage home."

"I'm going to miss all my friends." Courtney said to her father.

"I know, but they can come for a visit." John said as he began to push her, "But think of all the new friends you'll make. You're going to be so popular it'll be sickening." he heard a tiny chuckle from the redhead.

"That'd be cool." She said.

"You know what will be even more cool?" John asked.  
"What?" Courtney peered over her shoulder.  
"A new pair of shoes." John winked. Courtney's eyes sparkled. He could always bribe her with a pair of new shoes or a new shirt. She was exactly like her mother. Courtney jumped off of the swing.  
"Can they be heels?" She asked.

"They can have some lift." John said.  
"Heels?" Courtney batted her eyes. John laughed.  
"They can have some lift." He repeated. Courtney sighed.

"Fine." She said. Claire stepped onto the porch.

"Guys, come on. The truck is ready to go with the last of our stuff." She said. John looked at Courtney.  
"You ready?" He asked her. She nodded.

"It'll be cool having my own room I can decorate how I want it." Courtney said. John could swear he see dollar signs flash in her eyes. John chuckled leading his daughter out front. Tiffany and Tyler were jumping into the car. Claire walked up behind him.

"How is she?" Claire asked.

"Just fine." John said opening the car door for her.

"You bribed her with new stuff didn't you?" Claire asked, lowering her achy body down into the car. John made sure his children were buckled in before he pulled out of the driveway. It was hard leaving this home, but he was ready for a new chapter in his life. He wanted to raise his children in a more safe environment.

* * *

The house was huge. It still felt empty even though they were inside of it. It didn't feel like their home yet. John knew it'd take a while for everything to get unpacked and feeling like this was theirs.  
"Come to bed, John." Claire said trying to get comfortable.  
"Okay." He said crawling into bed, "how are you feeling?"

"I can't wait to unpack and get the kids situated in their new school." She said, "It'll be hard for them a little bit I think."

"How about for you?" John arched his eyebrow.  
"I'm fine. You can't bribe me with new shoes." She said, "Just sleep."

"And chocolate." john pointed out.

"And chocolate." Claire laughed. John wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. He sighed with happiness. It was wild how happy he was. John couldn't have asked for a better life.

June 22nd, 1996

Allison stared at Audrey. She was almost two months old and already changing before Allison's eyes. It made her sad. She loved the baby stage.  
"God, I love you." She picked the baby up.

"You love me too?" Adria stood in the doorway. Allison grinned brightly.

"I love you more than the moon and the stars." She said.

"And I love you more than the sun and the planets." Adria giggled walking into the living room, "Are you gonna do something this summer?" Allison shrugged.

"I think we're going to stay home, maybe lock you kids in some closets. That might be fun." She said. Adria frowned, "How celebrate someone's birthday in eight days."

"Oh!" Adria's face brightened up. "Like how?"

"It's like a surprise." She winked at her daughter, "but you're turning eight so it'll be a special one I promise."

"Can Tiffany come?" Adria asked, "I'm glad she moved in."

"If her mom says it's okay." She said, "Now go clean your room."

"What if I don't want to?" Adria asked.  
"You won't live to be eight now go." Allison laughed, picking Audrey up. She walked over to the playpen and laid her in. She glanced out the back door and saw Asia ready to jump into a mud muddle, "Asia Belle Clark! Get your behind in her!"

"No!" Asia yelled.

"ASIA BELLE!" Allison snapped. Asia stopped and looked at her mother. She sighed deeply and walked dup the steps back to the house.

"You're no fun." She pouted.

"I know." Allison pushed her daughter into the house, "Go finish your room." Asia stomped down the hallway. Allison tuned back to Audrey. "Stay tiny. I like it when you're tiny."

"How do you like big thick things?" Andrew asked coming up behind her. Allison laughed loudly, turning around.

"I love them." She said, "But I hate how those things make creatures like Asia." Andrew chuckled.  
"Is she giving you trouble?" He asked.

"I don't know where she came from." Allison said, "Adria wasn't like this and Audrey is already ten times better than Asia was."

"Well, We broke the mold with Asia." He said pulling his wife down to the couch with him.

"Thanks god for that." She said. Andrew nipped at her neck.  
"So, I take it you don't want to try for another one?"

"NO!" Allison pushed him away, "Even if I did, the doctor didn't give me the okay to jump back in the sack." Andrew groaned.  
"I'm going to burst." He said.

"Poor baby." Allison pouted, "You'll have to take care of it yourself." Andrew gave her a look.

"So, you're not pushing the thought of number four out of your head are you?" He asked. Allison shook her head.

"If the next one is a boy, I'll do it next month. If it's another girl, I'll do it in five years." She said. Andrew chuckled. His wife was so nuts sometimes.

"Okay, I'll see if I can handle that some how…" He said, "If I do, I'll be a millionaire." Allison's eyes twinkled.

"Hey, you should research that." She said, "I could use a million dollars. If we have a boy, we are we going to name him?"

"Something with an A of course." Andrew said, "Maybe Andrew Jr."

"No. No Juniors." She said. "Maybe Alonzo or Alfalfa."

"I like Alfalfa….Alfalfa Clark." Andrew kissed her neck. Okay, this really was torture. He knew Allison had to get the okay from her doctor before he even thought about having sex. It was just torture.


	3. Ralph

****

July 1st, 1996

Brian got out of the car taking his sunglasses off. It was hot outside, but not as hot as it was in Miami. His wife walked up behind him.

"We need to get the food." Zophia said. Brian nodded.

"We'll get something." He said helping his youngest son out of the car, "How does MacDonald's sound?"

"Awesome!" Heath, his eldest son, said. Zophia rolled her eyes as they walked into the mall.

"You indulge them too much." She said.

"I'm their father. They have never been here before. So I plan on buying them everything that they need." Brian said, "It's not like we packed a lot of things."

"I know." Zophia sighed looking around the mall. "There's so many people here."

"We'll be fine. Everyone I know is spread throughout the country and you know no one here, so it'll be fine." Brian said walking down to the food court. Things were going to be different here than it was in Florida. He walked up to the MacDonald's booth, "Hi. Could I have two happy meals with Pepsi, a number two with diet pepsi, and a number six with a pepsi?" The woman nodded as she rang up their total.

"Fourteen dollars and twenty-five cents." She said. Brian handed her a twenty.

"Brian, is that you?" Brian froze. Someone recognized him. He didn't think anyone would. Brian slowly turned around. Andrew Clark.

"Andy…Hey…" Brian said. Andrew laughed loudly.

"You back in town?" He asked, "It seems that everyone is coming back. Claire and John came back a few weeks ago."

"Really?" Brian stared at him. Andrew nodded.  
"You back for good?" he asked. Brian shrugged.  
"My wife and I move a lot." He said glancing towards the table where Zophia and the boys where. Andrew looked at them.

"Wow. Gorgeous…I mean you boys…Well, your wife….She's well…" Andrew chuckled. Brian nodded.

"She's a model." He said picking up his tray and walked to the table, "Zophia…This is Andrew. He went to high school with me."

"Oh." Zophia smiled nervously. "It's a pleasure."

"These are my boys, Heathcliff and Wolfgang." Brian said. Andrew arched his eyebrows at the names. Asia ran up to him.

"Daddy, Can I go play in the balls?" She asked. Andrew nodded.

"Go. Stick with Adria." He said, "So you're a dad. It's nice isn't it?"

"It's wonderful." Brian said.

"Alli just had our third in May." Andrew beamed with pride.  
"That's great." Brian said taking Wolfgang's hand, "If you'll excuse us. We're really busy and have a lot of errands to run. It was nice running into you again."

"Yeah. We'll need to have a play date sometime." Andrew said.  
"We will." Brian smiled leading his family out of MacDonald's. He handed Wolfgang and Heathcliff their happy meals.

"You said everyone you knew didn't live here any more." Zophia told him. Brian glared at her.

"I didn't know Andy was still in town. Give me a break, Phi." He said pulling his family through the mall, "We don't have to stop here. We can go further." Zophia shook her head.

"We can try here for awhile." She said, "I want to boys to have a home for once." Brian stopped and looked at his wife.

"That's all I want too, Phi. You need to believe me, but I want them to be safe as well." He said.

"They'll be safe here. I can feel it." Zophia said wrapping her arms around her husband. He sighed as he held her tightly. He hoped that she would be right. He was sick of running. Brian just wanted all of this to end.

July 14th, 1996

Claire loved being back. She loved having kids her kids could play with. With the kids on summer break now, Claire needed the break. She loved having lunch dates with Allison.

"Two weeks left." Allison said as she sat down at the picnic table, "How does it feel?" Claire looked at her enormous stomach.  
"It feels uncomfortable." Claire said, "but I've had three kids so I know what to expect."

"Every pregnancy is different." Allison looking towards the playground. Tyler and Asia were in the sandbox building their own little town. Tiffany and Adria were on the tire swing chatting away. "Andy and I are thinking about number four ourselves…Of course in awhile. Audrey isn't even three months."

"Well, that'd be nice." She said. "You guys make good-looking babies."

"I think so too." Allison chuckled, "So, did you hear about the whole Brian thing?" Claire nodded.

"That is so wild." She said, "You'd think he'd be happier to see Andy."

"It was as if he didn't want Andy to recognize him or something." Allison said, "Andy said he has really filled out."

"I can't imagine him filling out." Claire said watching Tyler carefully, "Why do you think he's being so mysterious?"

"I have no idea. Maybe he's in some kind of trouble." She said, "But he has a wife and two children so I don't know."

"I hope I run into him." Claire said, "He seemed smart back in high school."

"I'm sure he still is." Allison said. "How does it feel having a boy?"

"Opposed to girls?" She asked. Allison nodded, "It's pretty wild. Very different. Girls are drama queens and are emotional."

"Lord, glad it's not just mine." She said.

"Tyler is very kinetic. Sometimes it's hard to keep up." Claire told her.

"Andy wants a boy of course." Allison said, "I don't think I could handle another pregnancy, but we'll see." Claire's hand went over her stomach.

"It's not that bad, honest. You just show sooner." She chuckled.

"That's what I don't need." Allison winked unpacking the picnic basket. "Guys, come eat!" The four children came running over.

"Good. I'm starved." Tiffany sat down next to Adria.  
"Ham and cheese with no crust for Adri. PB & J for Ty and Asia." Allison tossed them their sandwiches. "And bologna and mustard for Tiff."

"Thank you, Mrs. Clark." Tiffany said.  
"My mommy's having a baby." Tyler told Asia. She giggled.  
"My mommy just had a baby. Her belly got very big." Asia said.

"My mommy's belly is super huge." Tyler beamed.

"Hey!" Claire laughed.

"It's true." Tyler said.

"But you don't need to tell her that." Tiffany scolded, "Pregnant girls are sensitive." Tyler rolled his eyes.

"You're sensitive." He muttered. Claire looked at Allison and chuckled.

"And you wonder why I love them." She said. Allison smiled looking at her own daughters. She could remember some wonderful comments from Adria when she was pregnant with Audrey. Children had an honest way about them. Allison loved that.


	4. New Life

****

Note: I wasn't going to continue this series but since I've gotten so many responses asking me to…I am

July 21st, 1996

Brian stared at his wife. She looked nervous. He had been pushing this opening a model school here for awhile now. She did it in Miami and she loved it right up until their lives changed forever.

"Zophia, are you okay?" He asked her. She bit her lip.

"Are we really staying here? Are we really going to stop moving around?" She asked him. Brian nodded.

"We're really staying here." he said reaching over to take her hand, "You can open up a school and we can become rich…again." Zophia gave a tearful chuckle.

"That would be nice." She said as the door bell rang. Both of their smiles faded. Brian slowly stood up and stared at the door. His heart pounded in his chest.

"Do not make a sound." He whispered. The doorbell rang again. Brian slowly walked towards the door. He glanced through the peep hole and groaned loudly. "It's okay, Zoph." He opened the door and John and Andrew stood there, "Hey guys."

"Took you long enough." Andrew chuckled.

"Wow, you really have grown up." John winked.

"Who is it?" Zophia slowly stood up. Brian stepped aside and led his high school friends into his apartment.

"You remember Andrew and this is John." Brian said. John looked Zophia over. Wow, he thought. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to come see you. Stop being so secretive." Andrew chuckled. Brian glanced out the window as he closed the front door and double bolted it.

"Got someone coming after you?" John grinned.

"I….I will check on the boys." Zophia rushed out of the room. Brian frowned at John.

"Look guys. I'm different than I was in high school. I cant have you guys dropping by my house any time you want." he said. Andrew held his hands up.

"Whoa whoa. We just wanted to see you." He said.

"Call next time." Brian muttered glancing back out the window.

"Brian, what's going on?" John asked.

"Nothing is going on." Brian said going into the kitchen. The men followed.

"When I ran into you at the mall you couldn't get away from me fast enough." Andrew said. "Now did we really fuck you over that bad in high school?" Brian sighed shaking his head.

"None of this is you." Brian said.

"Then what's going on man." John said, "Look we've all got families now. We're all adults now. I'd like for the three of us to be able to get alone and become friends again." Brian stared at John. He was being sincere.

"I'd like for us to have some friends." Brian said.

"Good." Andrew said.

"Are you in some kind of trouble because I'm a lawyer. I can help you out." John said. Brian laughed.

"You couldn't help me with this." He said.

"Try us." Andrew said. Brian glanced at the door. He had wanted to talk to someone about this for years now. Could he trust them?

"We got into a little trouble back in Miami." Brian said.

"Drugs?" John asked. He heard there were a lot of drug trafficking there.

"Sort of." Brian said.

"Tell us. We wont let anything leave this room." John said, "I'm good with keeping information secret."

"Well, um…Zophia opened up a modeling school a few years ago. She was doing really well. She had so many little girls in her school. Well, one little girl Lucia Sanchez was doing very well so she went to the Sanchez home…" Brian bit his lip for a moment. "Let's just say Zophia saw some things that she shouldn't have and had her life threatened. So we ran."

"Wow…." Andrew said. "How long have you been…on the run?"

"Four years." Brian said, "I cant get into much more detail than that. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah yeah. Of course." john smiled. "You can trust us. Well, you can trust me. I don't know about Andy boy here."

"You can trust me." He said, "Your wife doesn't have to run away from us. We'll treat her just like our wives."

"That means a lot." Brian said, "She's pretty lonely. She would love to met Alli and Claire, I'm sure."

"Well, great." John said, "Claire is about to give birth so I don't think she'd be up for company, but soon all of us have o get together. All our children and all of that.  
"A barbeque." Andrew said. Brian chuckled. Okay, maybe this wouldn't be too bad. Maybe he could actually lead a normal life. M aybe he could actually raise his boys in a place that was actually safe. Maybe this was the best move he had ever made.

August 1st, 1996

John ran his hand over his hair as he stared at the pile of papers on his desk. His latest case was a hard one. His Client was suing her husband because she had suffered four miscarriage due to his beatings. She wanted him to pay up and be charged with four accounts of murder. He wasn't sure if he could do it but he would try his best.

"Mr. Bender, Scott Lovejoy wants to meet you tomorrow." April, his secretary, said as she stood in the doorway.

"You know my schedule. Can I make it?" H e asked. April chuckled.

"Yes, but you hate him. Do you want to have lunch with him?" She asked him. John shook his head.

"no but he will keep on nagging me if I don't." John waved his hand. "Schedule him for a 12:30. Then I don't want to hear from him for three months, All right?"

"You're unbelievable." April walked back out into the front office. John leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Mr. Bender, your wife is on line one."

"Thanks." He said picking up the phone. "hello, Baby."

"Hey." Claire smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Oh just going over some notes." John said, "How are you feeling? Any activity from the wee one?"

"Oh yes. A whole bunch." Claire chuckled. "like my water breaking." John sat up as the colored drained from his face. His heart pounded in his chest.

"Wh-What?" he asked.

"My water has broken." She said. "Courtney and the little ones walked over to Alli's house. John, are you there?" He cleared is throat.

"Yeah. Sorry. How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Just fine, but are you able to come home?" Claire asked, "I'd really like to have this baby with you there." John stood up.

"Give me ten minutes. Just sit there and relax." John hung the phone up and ran outside, "She having the baby. Cancel everything for the next week."

"What? She's having the baby?" April smiled as John grabbed his blazer jacket.

"I'm going to be a dad…again." John ran outside of his building. This was great.

Claire laid in the bed taking in a deep breath. She looked at John and smiled.

"I don't think it'll be a long labor. Tyler was what? Seven hours." Claire said, "I'm betting on four."

"Four? Okay, I'll take that one." He smiled. John kissed her head, "Our family is almost complete."

"Two boys and two girls." Claire sighed with happiness, "Who knew twenty years ago we'd be here?"

"Not me." John said settling down in a chair beside her bed.

"Do you think Tyler will like finally having a brother?" Claire asked. John laughed.

"I think he will love it. He is sick of girls." he said. Claire took in a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly.

"Oh god…." She began to moan. John looked at her with wide eyes. He hated these. Defiantly not as much as she did but he hated feeling helpless. He wanted to make her pain go away.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"No." Claire snapped, "I'm pushing a human out of my vagina!"

"Okay okay." John looked at the floor. He listened to Claire as she began to relax. He looked back up at her. "can I talk now?"

"Why not?" She glared at him. John bit his lip. He was going to shut up.

"She's almost there." John said on the phone "How are the kids?"

"Fine." Allison said, "They're really anxious. Andy is making them dinner."  
"Great thank you for this." John said, Allison laughed.

"That's what friends are for." She said, "Next baby I have you need to watch my kids."

"Deal." He said.

"Mr. Bender," A nurse walked up to him, "Your wife is ready to push."

"Oh my god. Alli, got to go." John slammed the phone down and ran to the room. "it's time?"

"It's time." Claire smiled. John went to her side and took her hand.

"Wow." He smiled. Dr. White walked into the room and put some gloves on.

"I hear it's time." He said. Claire took in a deep breath.

"I need to push." She said.

"You need to wait a second." He informed her.

"I cant wait." Claire moaned. There was so much pressure. She knew it'd feel better if she could only push. "Oh god." Dr. White lifted the sheet up and chuckled.

"Have you been pushing?" he asked.

"No. he's coming out on his own." Claire moaned.  
"I see." Dr. White settled in front of her, "Push with everything you have, Claire."

"This is it, Baby." John said taking her hand. Claire groaned taking in a deep breath. She pressed her chin to her chest and began to push. It felt so much better as she pushed.

"That's it. It wont take long now." Dr. White said cleaning out the baby's mouth. "One more push Claire and this will all be over with."

"Thank god." She grunted. She looked at John and smiled weakly.

"You're doing great." He said.

"I know." Claire chuckled. She took in a deep breath and began to push again.

"That's it." Dr. White said. Claire pushed harder and she could feel the baby leave her body. She exhaled and looked down at the screaming baby. "It's a Boy." he was placed on Claire's chest.

"Oh my." She whispered. John stared at the baby with large eyes.

"He's perfect." John whispered.

"Do you have a name picked out?" Dr White asked. Claire nodded.

"Conner Johnathan." She said touching her son's downy hair. He was perfect. Ten toes and ten fingers. Even though this was her fourth child, it was still so powerful to hold them for the first time in your hands.


	5. Cheesecake

**August 15th, 1996**

**Allison really didn't like heat waves. It made the girls cranky and cranky girls made mommy cranky. She was ready for school to start to again The girls wouldn't be nagging for her to entertain them**.** Granted the thought of thirty screaming kids didn't thrill her either but she did like her job and she liked taking a break from home. Allison stood in the doorway to the girls nursery and watched them play.**

**"Hello." Andrew walked into the house and looked at Allison, "You okay?"**

**"Yeah. Where have you been?" She asked.**

**"Claire's. I wanted to check out the baby." Andrew smiled.**

**"Can we get a babysitter and go out for dinner tonight?"** **Allison turned and looked at him, "I want some time alone with you. We haven't been on a date since Audrey came." Andrew nodded.**

**"Let me go find a babysitter. Go get washed up. Put something nice on and I'll take you somewhere nice." Andrew winked as he went to the phone. He really wanted to go lay down and sleep but his wife was right. They needed some time together. They needed alone time. Not that the girls weren't great, but maybe he'd get lucky tonight. It had been awhile.**

**"This is great." Allison said opening her closet. She looked at all her clothes wondering what she could still fit in. She pulled out a blue dress. The last time she had put it on, she got pregnant with Audrey,**

**"All set." Andrew walked into the bedroom, "The Whitney girl will be here in twenty minutes."**

**"Great." She said pulling her shirt off. Andrew grinned brightly. "Don't even think about it mister."**

**"I wasn't thinking anything." He said as he watched Allison wiggle into the dress. She grunted slightly as she zipped it up. She turned around in the mirror.**

**"I have a little pooch." She sighed.**

**"I don't see one." Andrew frowned. Allison put her hand on her stomach. "You look beautiful."**

**"Go away." She walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. Andrew chuckled as He left the bedroom to check on the girls. **

**"Girls, Mom and me are going out tonight so Sarah will be here to watch you." Andrew said.**

**"Sarah is nice." Adria said.**

**"Yes. She gives us ice-cream." Asia said as she ran into th house, "Can we have ice cream?"**

**"If Sarah wants you to." Andrew said ushering them into the house, "Go wash up. You don't even look like my children You're so dirty."**

**"Can Audrey take a bath with us?" Asia asked. Andrew laughed.**

**"No. She's too little." Andrew said, "Go." the girls ran down the hallway and into the bathroom. Sarah opened the front door, "Hey there."**

**"Hi, Mr. C." She smiled, "It's quiet."**

**"Audrey is napping and the girls are starting a bath." Andrew said, "Thank you for doing this."**

**"No problem. I love babysitting them." Sarah said, "I hope the two of you have fun tonight."**

**"Thank you." Andrew walked back into his bedroom and knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Sarah is here."**

**"Good for her." Allison said.**

**"Can we go?" He asked her.**

**"I suppose so." Allison stepped out and Andrew stared at her. She shyly looked away.**

**"You look beautiful." He said. Allison had put her hair up and put a small amount of make up on. For her jewelry, she wore the presents Andrew got her for Christmas.**

**"Shut up." She smacked his shoulder.**

**"I mean it, Alli. You're beautiful." Andrew said.**

**"Can we go now?" She asked. Andrew nodded. He knew Allison would probably always be self-conscious but he refused to back down from his compliments.**

**

* * *

**

**"Andrew, this is delicious." Allison licked the remains of the cheesecake off of her fork.**

**"I'm glad You're enjoying it." He said to his wife, "You deserve it."**

**"Why do I deserve it?" Allison asked.**

**"Because you work hard as a mother." Andrew told her, "I've been working hard trying to get my team ready for the new season so I have left a lot upon your shoulders. And with a new baby, you got to be stressed."**

**"I am." She admitted, "But this is exactly what I needed, Andy."**

**"I know it was." He smiled picking up her hand and gently k issing it. He knew that sometimes he was a forgetful husband, but he would do everything in his powers to make Allison still feel wanted even after all these years.**

**September 1st, 1996**

**Zophia was slowly becoming comfortable in her skin again. It was hard to knock down those walls, but for her children she would. She would become a sociable mother and make friends for her sons. She would have an American dream.**

**"Come on, Heath." Zophia took her son's hand as she walked up the steps to the Bender home. Sh eknocked on the door.**

**"Coming." Claire called out as she walked down the hallway. She grinned brightly when she opened up the door, "Zophia, hi. Come in."**

**"Thank you." She said walking in, "I hope we're not interrupting anything."**

**"Oh no You're not. We're having a lazy day today." Claire said, "Hi, Boys."**

**"Hi." they both said.**

**"I thought they should get to know yours a little bit better." Zophia said, "Like...what do you call it? A play day?"**

**"Play Date." Claire smiled, "Tyler, come here. We have visitors." Tyler ran down the stairs.**

**"Hi Heath!" He waved. "Can we go play outside?"**

**"Sure." Claire said, "Take Wolf with you too. I'll be watching out the window so stay where I can see you."**

**"Okay, Mommy." Tyler said taking heath and Wolf's hands. The three boys ran out of the hallway. **

**"Conner is in his swing in the living room. I just made some coffee. Would you like some?" Claire asked.**

**"Sure. Just black." Zophia said walking into the livingroom. She walked over to Conner ad knelt down, "Hello there, Chico." Conner stared at her trying to recognize her.**

**"Here you go." Claire put her mug on the table.**

**"Thank you." Zophia went over to the couch, "I cannot believe how big Conner has gotten."**

**"Oh I know." She sighed, "Every day he gets a little bigger. Have you and Brian thought about having another?"**

**"Sure." Zophia said sipping her coffee, "I would love to try for a little girl someday. I mean I'm only 26 so I have a while yet. We're finally settling into this place, so...maybe in two or three years."**

**"That'd be nice." Claire said, "Lord knows I was expecting to have four children by the time I was 28."**

**"Life makes the unexpected happen sometimes." Zophia said looking out the window at the boys, "They seem to be getting along nicely."**

**"Good. Tyler is friends with a lot of girls his age, but not enough boys." Claire said, "When will Heath be six?"**

**"October 10th." Zophia said, "I cannot believe it."**

**"How do you think I feel?" Claire asked, "Courtney turned eleven in March. She's like...hormonal."**

**"Wow..." Zophia shook her head. She couldn't imagine her boys that old.**

**"I know." Claire looked at her, "So, why are you really here?"**

**"You caught me." Zophia chuckled, "My motive for coming over here is to make friends with you." Claire smiled.**

**"We can be friends, Zophia." She said to the woman, "I enjoy your company from what I've seen. I could always use another girlfriend."**

**"Really?" Zophia smiled.**

**"Sure." Claire waved in the air, "Allison and I try to have a kid free day every few weeks. You're free to come along. We always have a great time. Last time we go manicures and pedicures."**

**"That sounds fantastic." Zophia said.**

**"Great." Claire said, "We're going to go out in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to call you."**

**"Thank you." Zophia said, "They seem to be getting along."**

**"Good."** **Claire said as she picked Conner up. "Do you mind if I breast-fed? Some people are really uncomfortable. Zophia shook her head.**

**"Breast-feeding is completely natural and beautiful." Zophia said, "When I fed my boys, I swear I did it anywhere and everywhere." Claire laughed as she lifted her shirt up.**

**"I know what you mean." She said.** **Zophia smiled at he woman. Okay, this was really nice. Zophia enjoyed notbeing shut in the house. Living life was uterly great.**


End file.
